Sunday, September 10, 2006

Postgame Thoughts: Texas

- What can you say about Troy Smith that hasn't already been said? The guy's awesome. And he did it in this game with his arm. I think he genuinely enjoys not running past the line of scrimmage.

- I'm fairly pleased with the defense as a whole. They're still unimpressive on run defense, but they'll get better with time. The pass defense was solid, though they weren't tested downfield much. The defensive line was able to get some pressure on Colt McCoy, even going up against such a good offensive line.

- Some notes on the offense:

Troy Smith - Like I said, awesome. He was making good decisions all game, and not just about who he threw it to. He also showed some great maturity in being willing to throw the ball away or just take a sack for a short loss, rather than force a throw and risk a pick or try some crazy scramble and risk a big loss.

Antonio Pittman - The stat line is almost identical to last year against Texas, other than the touchdown. I still wonder why he wasn't used more, but you can't argue with the outcome.

The offensive line - Held their own against a great defensive line. Troy didn't have all day to throw, and the running game wasn't real effective, but the line was good enough. They won't face a better D-line all season, so they should look even better the rest of the season.

Ted Ginn - Another good game. He definitely looks like a more complete receiver. Even though Texas focused on stopping him, he still made an impact.

Anthony Gonzalez - The beneficiary of all the attention paid to Ted. I thought Texas would look to stop him as well as Ginn, and the third receiver would have some opportunities. Turns out Texas forgot about Gonzo. Big game from him. Hope he enjoyed it; teams are probably gonna be keeping better track of him from here on out.

- And now the defense:

The defensive line - Like I said, got pressure on the QB while going up against a great O-line. I'd like to see them get better against the run, and they probably will once they quit playing teams with great running games.

James Laurinaitis - Defensive MVP of the game, no question. 10 solo tackles, a forced fumble, and an interception. He looked great.

John Kerr - Rapidly playing himself out of the starting lineup. During the game, I remember thinking, "I haven't seen much of John Kerr." This morning, I take a look at the box score, and he's nowhere to be found. Not even an assist. Ross Homan, meanwhile, is somewhere: 2 solos, 2 assists. Homan will be starting soon, I think.

The defensive backs - I was pretty impressed with all of them. I like that the corners are capable of making a tackle, particularly Malcolm Jenkins. Brandon Mitchell was making a lot of plays, too. They looked good, but again, they weren't tested downfield a whole lot.

- A.J. Trapasso had a great day punting. Hopefully that wasn't a fluke, and was instead what we can expect all season.

- Aaron Pettrey looked shaky on field goals, but I'm not too worried (yet). Three attempts is hardly enough to form any judgements on. He'll be fine (IhopeIhopeIhope). On the plus side, he was solid on kickoffs.

- If I was coaching Texas, I probably would have taken a page from Northern Illinois and always ran the ball. Run left, right, and up the middle. Thow those damn swing passes and screens, so you can start running again as soon as possible. Even when you're down, keep running, because it worked. It's a better plan than putting the game in the hands of the freshman making his second start.

- Some people on my block set a couch on fire. Celebration via flaming furniture. And somehow, it made sense.

About The 614

The 614 (the site, not the area code) is run by Sean Sheehan, an Ohio State alum. In his spare time, Sean enjoys watching Ohio State football, talking about Ohio State football, thinking about Ohio State football, and watching Ohio State basketball and wondering when football season begins.